This weekend will be the fall session of the semi-annual general conference.
I recommend watching at least some of it to anyone out there.
I'll promise you this if you do, while you may hear some things that you might not agree with, you will certainly hear things that you will agree with and the messages will be uplifting and beneficial.
Which brings me to my next suggested topic, I invite everyone to post their thoughts, comments and questions on any of the messages shared during any of the general conference sessions to post them here.
Either way, I hope you all have a great week and weekend.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
How do we know?
There are a lot of ancient texts out there, some considered scripture by some and not by others. We don't have hard evidence of the truthfulness of any of them though, so how do we know which are inspired writings, which are merely the thoughts of uninspired men, or which are complete made up?
With Christian religions, the main book is the Holy Bible, which is actually a collection of many other books, which were in turn taken from an even wider arrangement of books and writings. Most Christians (I think), believe that the Holy Bible is the Word of God and many look at any writings that are not included in that collection of books as not being true.
In fact, I've heard the argument on more than one occasion, that the Bible itself claims to be the only true book. The reference used to make that claim can be found in John's book of Revelation, chapter 22, verse 18, where it states: ...If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written i this book.
At first blush, that might seem pretty telling, as the book of Revelation is included at the very end of the Bible and that reference is very close to the end of the book of Revelation.
Now, the Torah is the main book in the Jewish religion (correct me if I'm wrong on that, but that is my understanding), which includes the first part of the Holy Bible. Namely, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 4, verse 2, it states: Ye Shall not add unto the word which I command you...
So, is the Torah correct and everything else in the Bible an attempt to add to those words? Or is it not quite as simple as that?
I don't want to get into any Bible bashing here (that's a war that nobody can ever win, other than perhaps the devil), but to get to the point of this post, how can we know what books/writings to believe?
My personal belief is that no man can tell you. Only the Spirit can tell you. And the only way that can happen is to read, ponder and pray, in that order.
I believe that the Bible, as well as the Book of Mormon, is the Word of God, but many do not share my belief, at least not about the Book of Mormon. That's okay, everyone has the agency to accept or reject the Book of Mormon for themselves. I do humbly make one request though, do not reject it without reading it first.
Now I leave it to all of you to sound off. What writings/books do you believe and how can you know which to believe and which to discard?
With Christian religions, the main book is the Holy Bible, which is actually a collection of many other books, which were in turn taken from an even wider arrangement of books and writings. Most Christians (I think), believe that the Holy Bible is the Word of God and many look at any writings that are not included in that collection of books as not being true.
In fact, I've heard the argument on more than one occasion, that the Bible itself claims to be the only true book. The reference used to make that claim can be found in John's book of Revelation, chapter 22, verse 18, where it states: ...If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written i this book.
At first blush, that might seem pretty telling, as the book of Revelation is included at the very end of the Bible and that reference is very close to the end of the book of Revelation.
Now, the Torah is the main book in the Jewish religion (correct me if I'm wrong on that, but that is my understanding), which includes the first part of the Holy Bible. Namely, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 4, verse 2, it states: Ye Shall not add unto the word which I command you...
So, is the Torah correct and everything else in the Bible an attempt to add to those words? Or is it not quite as simple as that?
I don't want to get into any Bible bashing here (that's a war that nobody can ever win, other than perhaps the devil), but to get to the point of this post, how can we know what books/writings to believe?
My personal belief is that no man can tell you. Only the Spirit can tell you. And the only way that can happen is to read, ponder and pray, in that order.
I believe that the Bible, as well as the Book of Mormon, is the Word of God, but many do not share my belief, at least not about the Book of Mormon. That's okay, everyone has the agency to accept or reject the Book of Mormon for themselves. I do humbly make one request though, do not reject it without reading it first.
Now I leave it to all of you to sound off. What writings/books do you believe and how can you know which to believe and which to discard?
Sunday, July 20, 2008
The next life
My grandmother just passed away this past Thursday night. I was able to visit with her the previous evening, give her a hug and a kiss and tell her that I love her one last time. I didn't want to think that would be the last time I would see her and I still don't think that it will be. I think that I'll be able to see her again in the next life.
What will the next life be like? Is there one? If so, who will be there? What will we look like and what will our day to day lives me like there?
What will the next life be like? Is there one? If so, who will be there? What will we look like and what will our day to day lives me like there?
Thursday, July 10, 2008
What does God look like?
Okay, so we've had a few slow weeks, but let's see if we can liven things up a bit.
What does God look like? Does He look like Zues from the Clash of the Titans? Does He even have a body? Is He even a he? Or rather as Dishwalla suggests (in Counting Blue Cars), a she?
I admit, this question is better suited to those who believe in some sort of God, but everyone feel free to sound off and tell us what you think.
What does God look like? Does He look like Zues from the Clash of the Titans? Does He even have a body? Is He even a he? Or rather as Dishwalla suggests (in Counting Blue Cars), a she?
I admit, this question is better suited to those who believe in some sort of God, but everyone feel free to sound off and tell us what you think.
Monday, June 23, 2008
What is a soul?
New topic (although feel free to continue posting to the older ones as well). What is a soul?
I know know a man who teaches at a well known university, who has great knowledge of many religions (he teaches religion and anthropology and has PhD in the same) who's knowledge of biblical history and spiritual things has always amazed me and I always love to hear him speak. Recently, he spoke on the nature of a soul and I'd like to share some of that information with you.
Basically, he said that a soul is a combination of our bodies and our spirits. Both of which require nourishment and exercise. For the body, nourishment is of course the nutrients that we eat and drink and exercise is the physical labor that we do. If we do too much of one and not enough of the other, the results are not good and could at times actually be disastrous.
The spirit is the same way, but the nourishment for it is things such as prayer, reading the scriptures and attending religious services. These activities nourish our spirits, but they alone are not enough. We also need to exercise our spirits. This exercise is done through service. Service to our fellow man and service to religious institutions. If we do too much of one and not enough of the other, the results are not good and can also be disastrous. For example, always volunteering and doing service can burn you out and exhaust you if you do not nourish your spirit with prayer and scripture study.
I found all of that very interesting, especially the part about a soul being both body and spirit.
What do you think?
What is a soul?
I know know a man who teaches at a well known university, who has great knowledge of many religions (he teaches religion and anthropology and has PhD in the same) who's knowledge of biblical history and spiritual things has always amazed me and I always love to hear him speak. Recently, he spoke on the nature of a soul and I'd like to share some of that information with you.
Basically, he said that a soul is a combination of our bodies and our spirits. Both of which require nourishment and exercise. For the body, nourishment is of course the nutrients that we eat and drink and exercise is the physical labor that we do. If we do too much of one and not enough of the other, the results are not good and could at times actually be disastrous.
The spirit is the same way, but the nourishment for it is things such as prayer, reading the scriptures and attending religious services. These activities nourish our spirits, but they alone are not enough. We also need to exercise our spirits. This exercise is done through service. Service to our fellow man and service to religious institutions. If we do too much of one and not enough of the other, the results are not good and can also be disastrous. For example, always volunteering and doing service can burn you out and exhaust you if you do not nourish your spirit with prayer and scripture study.
I found all of that very interesting, especially the part about a soul being both body and spirit.
What do you think?
What is a soul?
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Scripture references
We seem to be off to a bit of a slow start so far, but I have faith that we can change that if we just stay at it. And we can always continue to comment on previous topics/threads as well.
Next topic, scripture references. Provide a script reference that you like, quote at least some of the text in it and explain why you like it.
I chose a scripture from the Book of Mormon to start off with. It is in the third book of Nephi, chapter 11 verse 29. First a little background, this is when Jesus Christ has been resurrected and appears to the people in the Americas to show Himself to them and to establish His church there, just as He did in the Jerusalem. He is talking to the people and says this:
"For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another"
I like how blunt it is, fighting is not Christlike. I invite all, no matter what religion (or no religion) they might have to participate here in open discussions and exchanges, but request that there be no contention here. We can agree to disagree on things, but I think if we give it a chance, we'll find that we all have more in common than we might think. I believe that the primary part of a religion should be to encourage people to live better lives and to love and respect those around them.
Next topic, scripture references. Provide a script reference that you like, quote at least some of the text in it and explain why you like it.
I chose a scripture from the Book of Mormon to start off with. It is in the third book of Nephi, chapter 11 verse 29. First a little background, this is when Jesus Christ has been resurrected and appears to the people in the Americas to show Himself to them and to establish His church there, just as He did in the Jerusalem. He is talking to the people and says this:
"For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another"
I like how blunt it is, fighting is not Christlike. I invite all, no matter what religion (or no religion) they might have to participate here in open discussions and exchanges, but request that there be no contention here. We can agree to disagree on things, but I think if we give it a chance, we'll find that we all have more in common than we might think. I believe that the primary part of a religion should be to encourage people to live better lives and to love and respect those around them.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Inspirational songs
To get the ball rolling, here's a thread about songs that inspire you.
Name the song, state the reason that it inspires you and provide the lyrics.
Also, just a couple of quick notes:
If you have a topic in mind you'd like to see discussed, shoot me an email and I'll post an entry for that topic. Or, if you'd like to be an author for this blog, then create a blogger account if you don't already have one and I'll add you as an author. (The blog can have up to 100 authors)
Okay, there are a lot of songs that I find inspiring, but I'm going to start with the Batlle Hymn of the Republic.
The history behind this song dates back to the civil war, where marching troops would sing a song named "John Brown's Body". This song was not all that inspirational, although the tune was quite catchy. Julia Ward Howe would watch the marching troops singing this song and thought there could be a much more uplifting and inspiring message portrayed with that tune, so she came up with some lyrics for the old "John Brown's Body" tune.
It has been changed just a little over the years and there may well be different versions of it today (I'm not sure), but here are the original words:
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord, He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift swordHis truth is marching on.
I have seen Him in the watchfires of a hundred circling camps; they have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps; I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lampsHis day is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat; O be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant my feet Our God is marching on.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, with a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me; as He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, while God is marching on.
Chorus:
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
Name the song, state the reason that it inspires you and provide the lyrics.
Also, just a couple of quick notes:
If you have a topic in mind you'd like to see discussed, shoot me an email and I'll post an entry for that topic. Or, if you'd like to be an author for this blog, then create a blogger account if you don't already have one and I'll add you as an author. (The blog can have up to 100 authors)
Okay, there are a lot of songs that I find inspiring, but I'm going to start with the Batlle Hymn of the Republic.
The history behind this song dates back to the civil war, where marching troops would sing a song named "John Brown's Body". This song was not all that inspirational, although the tune was quite catchy. Julia Ward Howe would watch the marching troops singing this song and thought there could be a much more uplifting and inspiring message portrayed with that tune, so she came up with some lyrics for the old "John Brown's Body" tune.
It has been changed just a little over the years and there may well be different versions of it today (I'm not sure), but here are the original words:
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord, He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift swordHis truth is marching on.
I have seen Him in the watchfires of a hundred circling camps; they have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps; I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lampsHis day is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat; He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat; O be swift, my soul, to answer Him! Be jubilant my feet Our God is marching on.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, with a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me; as He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free, while God is marching on.
Chorus:
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Introduction
About 12 years ago, I worked as a SysOp and web administrator for a local newspaper. That was back in the day when bulletin board systems (BBS) were still popular and the newspaper had one with many different forums. One such forum was called "Eye on religion" and was a place where people could openly discuss religious viewpoints.
I miss that, along with all of my good friends from back in those days. So, I've created this blog with that idea in mind. This is a place where people can share their religious view points and learn more about other religions. Differing religions is now reason not to be friends and have an open, free exchange of beliefs.
Hopefully I'll be able to get many people to participate and we can make this an educational and fun experience. If I'm the only one who posts, then I'm sure it will be quite dull and without a doubt, one-sided. So feel free to join me. I'm going to allow anyone to comment and you can say whatever you'd like. I only ask that you "be nice". Remember, it takes guts to bare your feelings on religion and share your faith with others and we won't always believe the same things, but everyone's beliefs have merit, no matter how greatly they may differ from our own.
I miss that, along with all of my good friends from back in those days. So, I've created this blog with that idea in mind. This is a place where people can share their religious view points and learn more about other religions. Differing religions is now reason not to be friends and have an open, free exchange of beliefs.
Hopefully I'll be able to get many people to participate and we can make this an educational and fun experience. If I'm the only one who posts, then I'm sure it will be quite dull and without a doubt, one-sided. So feel free to join me. I'm going to allow anyone to comment and you can say whatever you'd like. I only ask that you "be nice". Remember, it takes guts to bare your feelings on religion and share your faith with others and we won't always believe the same things, but everyone's beliefs have merit, no matter how greatly they may differ from our own.
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